Treatment tips for healthy garden mums

Added on 20 April 2022

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There are many pest control options when growing garden mums. Various treatments are available to deter diseases, insects, and mites, including options that are pollinator-friendly. The best options for pest control are detailed below (mode of action codes appear in parentheses).

Treatment Options for Foliar Diseases

Chrysanthemum White Rust (CWR): Apply a foliar spray using a strobilurin fungicide while the rooted cuttings are still in the propagation tray. Broadform (7&11), Fame (11), Heritage (11), Mural (7&11), Pageant (7&11), or Orkestra (7&11) are all good options. After planting, preventative foliar sprays only need to be made if weather conditions are forecasted to be favorable for CWR development. Rainy and cool conditions for more than 24 hours would be a reason to make the treatment before the forecasted weather sets in. Daconil WeatherStik* (M5) or Protect DF (M3) are reasonably priced protectants. If CWR is detected in the surrounding area, a second application of a strobilurin is recommended for enhanced protection. Eagle (3) and Avelyo (3) are curative fungicides for rust and should be saved in case CWR is detected in the mum crop.

Additional Foliar Diseases: For overhead irrigated crops or prolonged rainy conditions late in the crop, bacterial leaf spot (Pseudomonas cichorii) and fungal pathogens such as botrytis and aerial rhizoctonia can threaten a garden mum crop. This is most likely to occur later in the crop when the crop canopy is dense and air movement into the center of the plant is limited. For bacterial leaf spot, Companion Maxx, Cease, Stargus, and Triathlon BA can be used as preventatives. At the first sign of bacterial disease, a tank mix of a copper bactericide (M01) such as Badge, Camelot O*, Grotto*, Kalmor, Phyton 35*, etc. and a mancozeb such as Protect DF (M3) should be applied. KleenGrow (NC) has also shown good efficacy versus bacterial leaf spot. An important part of fighting bacterial leaf spot is to avoid overhead irrigations if possible. Make note of vulnerable mum varieties and work to replace them in the mum program. Aerial rhizoctonia often occurs with botrytis, so we recommend fungicides that control both. Options include Affirm (19), Broadform (7&11), Daconil WeatherStik* (M5), Medallion (9), Mural (7&11), Pageant (7&11), Palladium (9&12), Orkestra (7&11), or Spirato GHN (9).

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